oddbeck

Yes, as far as I can tell, it's practically just the sound from your guitar, bypassing the preamp-stage of your amplifier , going into the firehawk and then out through the poweramp-stage of your amplifier. This means that you can - if you do want to, have an amp setting enabled on the firehawk, and then "kick in" the FX Loop (in other words your preamp) to get your preamp into the mix.

Here's the cabling: 1) Firehawk's FX RETURN LEFT/MONO connects to your amp's SEND on the back side 2) Firehawk's FX SEND LEFT/MONO connects to your amp's guitar input, in other words where you would normally connect your gitar into the amp 3) Firehaw's LEFT/MONO (1/4" OUT) connects to the amps 'RETURN' jack on the back side 4) Your guitar connects into the 'GUITAR IN' on the firehawk. Those four steps is why it's called "Four Cable Method". This means that you have to enable the 'FX LOOP' in the Firehawk for the preset you want to have the amp's sound. You will then get the sound from the preamp of your amplifier into the firehawk, which then again will send the sound through your poweramp-stage of the amplifier. Previously I said that the switch for "line / stomp" mode should be in 'stomp' mode, but that was wrong. It should be in the 'LINE' position, the same goes for the 'output mode, it should be in 'LINE' mode too. This makes sure that the sound from the preamp section (the crunch/distortion/clean sound) isn't altered - or at least as little as possible. Now I'll explain about the amp/cabinet setting of your firehawk. This must be turned off, in other words no cabinet and no amp enabled. This is because you are already sending the sound from your preamp-stage in the amplifier through your Firehawk FX where you then can add effects (Delay, compressor etc). The firehawk then sends the sound back to your amplifier and through the amplifier's cabinet. You're now able to setup the presets the way you want to.. For example: Preset 1A might be with the FX LOOP enabled and amp/cabinet disabled, you will then get the active channel from your amp into the firehawk. Preset 1B might have the FX Loop disabled and amp enabled but cabinet disabled. You will then get the sound from the 'preamp' section of the firehawk through your amp, but no cabinet emulation Preset 1C might have the FX LOOP disabled, amp enabled, and cabinet enabled. You will now get the sound from the 'preamp' section of the firehawk + the cabinet emulation through your amp. I don't like to have cabinet emulation enabled as I feel the cabinet sound should come from my cabinet and not an emulation that's sent through my cabinet. But you're able to do whatever you want, the equipment is all yours anyway :)

No one else can verify this behaviour?

Well, you might also consider plugging the firehawk into the send/return of your amp. This is called the "four cable method". As long as I've had FX units with send/return I've always connected it using the 4 cable method (4CM). This way you can have the preamp-stage of your amp connected into the firehawk and then use it instead of an amp model from the firehawk. You can then have effects from the firehawk to shape the sound which way you want. Having it connected in a 4CM setup involves the 'FX Loop' being enabled pr patch so you can switch it in and out at your own will, and also pr patch. I love using the 4CM, and have had killer sound with my Randall and also with my Laney IRT, which is more of a british sounding beast. I can also add that if you want to have your preamp in a patch you should turn of the amp modeling for that patch, not have it in "amp" mode, and also have it in 'stomp' mode. (If I recall correctly)

Can anyone else verify this behaviour? The first time I activate a compressor on any compressor-enable patch, I get a volume spike for 1/10 of a second, but it's VERY audible. Here's how to replicate it: 1) Make sure the firehawk has just been switched on 2) Go to a patch that has some distortion activated, say the "pull me under" 3) strum the guitar 4) activate the compressor while the guitar still rings 5) listen to the sound spike the repeating times I press the compressor off/on there are no more spikes 5) switch the firehawk off 6) turn it on again 7) Strum the guitar while on the same patch (with distortion) 8) activate the compressor 9) listen to the sound spike This happens for most of the default patches with distortion and compressor, and only the first time after it has been started. Can anyone else verify this behaviour?

Yeah, GAS is a common problem... ah well, things could be worse :)

I see. Did you use the preamp on your amp ? The clue to having 4cable method working, as far as I've figured out at least, is to disable amp modeling in the setting of the patch.

Did you figure this one out?

1) Ok, I've never actually been looking for "faults" in a real physical delay by testing as thorough as I'm doing now, so I wasn't aware of the sound effect. 2) Yeah, I'm likely to agree that this would be a quick way to remove effects added - if it wasn't for the damn latency when switching/loading the preset. Hope they're fixing it soon, or at least fixing it alltogether. Otherwise this will stay a recording device for me and not a part of live equipment.

Things I've found out with my firehawk, latest firmware (1.20) Strum the guitar and let the guitar ring when you try out this one: 1) When you have a delay active (i.e digital delay), if you press the TAP TEMPO button a couple of times with varying time between the taps, from miliseconds to seconds, you'll hear a strange sound every time you press the TEMPO button. This is also audible when the guitar rings: 2) If I enable an effect, say delay/stomp/whatever, and then press the current active patch button, it seems to reload the patch - with the same irritating latency I've complained about, even after the 1.20 update which makes things better but still not a live-ready box. Anyone else experience this?

Having my phone/tablet connected via bluetooth, or disconnected for that matter, does not have a big impact, at least having it disconnected doesn't make it as fast as it should be. I enjoy jamming with it at home, but it's not in my gigging equipment due to the patch switch latency, sadly. I was planning on replacing my old Boss GT-8 with the Firehawk, but not as it is today. Kinda regret I didn't buy the Boss GT-100, but I wanted to try the Line6-products as everyone's bragging about them.

I still find the patch changing latency quite unbearable in a live situation with the 1.20 version. I need to have switching preset with max 30-50 milliseconds latency, now it's at least 200 ms, probably more... anything more than 50-60 ms is getting way to audible in a live setting, and more than 100 is not usable. In order to be able to switch ("enable") multiple effects I often have two presets that are 100% the same, apart from one has a few settings enabled and the other doesn't. This way I can switch between flanger, delay, boost all at once with one press, instead of tap dancing in order to switch off the effects. As the unit is now it has good amp models, but I'm not able to use it in a live setting the way I can use my old 2006' Boss GT-8 in regards with changing presets. I still have an ugly aftertaste every time I look at the FireHawk, and unless this is improved I feel like I have flushed a lot of bucks down the toilet...

I have to agree on this. I'm currently on the latest firmware (1.20) I experienced something like this delay/warp-stuff back in 2003 when I bought a V-AMP 2 (Behringer). I bought it without trying as a lot of people recommended it, but their musical style etc never required fast switching of presets so any delay/warp was never an issue for them. I hated the V-amp2. I gave it to my friend in the hope that he'll get a good use from it,, I hope I don't have to try to "give" this away cheap, aka selling it. Before I gave away my VAMP2 I bought a Vox Tonelab and I was really satisfied, no switching delay. Then in 2006 I bought a Boss GT-8, no switching delay there either, this is a unit I still have and it's a lifesaver when Murphy's law kicks in and gear breaks. I'll never get rid of it, as it's sturdy and rugged, and keeps on rocking. I've since used plenty other FX units and none have had this delay. I do regret that I bought this without testing, and silly me waited for the patch to fix this warp and the return policy at the shop has now expired. I could not imagine that patch switching latency would be something I would have to experience again, not considering we're in 2015 not 2004. Now this floorboard fx unit is more of a glorified recording unit than a live gigging rig, which sucks as I already have a good recording setup.

Thanks for the update. The lag time while changing presets was extremely irritating and I was considering returning the unit, but decided to go with the latest firmware, which improved things a lot - though I don't find it switching fast enough with the latest firmware either. I come from a Boss GT-8,10 and 100 background, and the switching delay on those units are barely noticable even when you're trying to notice the patch change, however with the Firehawk it's notably there even after the latest update. I still wish that you'd be able to make it even faster. As it is now, certain songs are hard to play live as I'm changing patches while the guitar is is still ringing, and this makes an audible "dip" in midst of the song. The song was created with my Boss GT-8 (way back in 2006) and the patches use basically the same effects, the only difference between the patches is that the other has increased volume, delay active, and a flanger active.